"Did I write that?" Ron Grainer apparently asked on hearing the completed version of the original theme crafted by the BBC's Radiophonic Workshop. "Most of it," Delia Derbyshire kindly replied.

Grainer attempted to get Derbyshire a co-writing credit but the policy of the time was to keep Workshop members anonymous, so it didn't happen.

As well as the irresistible power of the melody, what's so striking listening back is, like early Kraftwerk, how organic and human this music sounds, despite the use of machines.

With synthesisers not commercially available, test-tone oscillators and single note recordings were put on to analogue tape, which was cut, diced and spliced into the masterpiece that endures to today.

'I'm Gonna Spend My Christmas With a Dalek' - The Go Go's (1964)

These days, you know a song has really made it when there's a million parodies on YouTube. Before the web, the sign of a massive crossover success was a novelty spinoff single.

These days The Doctor has to do big fancy world tours and all manner of other promotion, but even back in Jon Pertwee's day the role went beyond the TV screen.

Released on Purple Records, 'Who Is The Doctor?' was a version of the theme complete with The Third Doctor's portentous vocal narration overlaid.

"Through cosmic waste the TARDIS flies / To taste the secret source of life..." Like Pulp lyrics, these lyrics should not be read while listening to the recording.

The Delaware Arrangement (1972)

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There were some ever-so-minor tweaks before, but the first serious attempt to revamp the theme took place in 1972.

With Derbyshire on board as producer, Brian Hodgson and Paddy Kingsland changed things up with the modular "Delaware" synthesiser, so nicknamed after Delaware Road, where the Radiophonic Workshop was based.

BBC executives hated the new version and it was abandoned, but some episodes that had not been overdubbed back to an earlier mix found their way to Australia.

We enjoy the stomach-churning, bleeped-out vibe of this, but can understand why it was just too radical a departure for Auntie to live with.

'Dr Who' - Mankind [on Top of the Pops] (1978)

A bit more po-faced than The Go Go's, but not by much, this version of the theme was called 'Dr Who'.

That was presumably to annoy all the people who saw it on the Woolworths shelves and yelled: "It's not DEE ARR WHO!"

Released in 1978 via Pinnacle, the track was Mankind's sole single release. Peaking at number 25, it became the first version of the song to appear in the official UK singles charts.

'Doctor Who Theme' (1980 - 1987)

After the Delaware debacle, the 1980s marked another chance to seriously mix up the Doctor Who Theme.

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Step up Peter Howell, who made use of much more widely available technology of the time, including an array of analogue synthesisers and vocoders.

Dominic Glynn made another tweaked version only used for season 23's 'The Trial of a Time Lord' before Keff McCulloch used even newer synths for season 24.

'Doctorin' the Tardis' - The Time Lords (1988)

Back to the pop world, Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty - best known as The KLF - smooshed up the Doctor Who theme with some Gary Glitter and Sweet, among others.

What resulted was a cut-and-paste classic. Not just a perfect pop record, but a witty, funny bit of art that is much sharper than some gave it credit for at the time.

After they topped the UK singles charts with the release, the pair released The Manual (How to Have a Number One the Easy Way).

The book offered a step-by-step guide for anyone to have a #1 single, though it noted that riches and happiness were certainly not guaranteed.

Doctor Who: The TV Movie (1996)

Everything you need to know about the Doctor Who movie can be learned from this shortened version of the theme.

Arranged by John Debney, it has a full Hollywood orchestral pomp, but can't escape the parochial origins that made the show what it was.

Instead of being delightfully one or the other, it falls awkwardly between the two, alternately slinking and trudging its way through the motions.

'Witness To A Murder - Part Two' - Mansun with Tom Baker (1998)

Before Little Britain thrust Tom Baker back into the limelight, Chester rockers Mansun gave him a narration gig for their quirky second album Six.

Over an operatic background, the Fourth Doctor neatly speaks ambiguously in the first person as late Rolling Stones guitarist and founding member Brian Jones.

Despite the coroner recording a verdict of "death by misadventure", conspiracy theories that Jones was murdered persist to this day.

Released in 1998, the album came in the middle of Doctor Who's wilderness years, not long after the artistic and commercial failure of the TV movie, with regeneration under Russell T Davies a long way off.

Its existence proves that even when he was far from our TVs, we could never quite get The Doctor out of our systems.

David Arnold - Big Finish (2001)

Having scored Stargate and Independence Day, Arnold was an obvious and perfect choice to take on the Doctor Who theme for the audio Big Finish productions.

Arranging his version in the middle of his work on five James Bond films, Arnold managed to stay true to the essence of the show but give it a 21st century growl and menace.

He continued his Doctor Who connections by writing the music for the Tom Baker-featuring Little Britain and Steven Moffat's other baby, Sherlock.

'Doctor Who Theme' Season One - Murray Gold (2005)

When Doctor Who returned, everything was at stake. Christopher Eccleston was a well-regarded actor, but was he a Doctor?